Thunderbolts & butterflies
by Tamarindo Amargo
Summary: They remember. One as terrifying, unexpected and loud as a thunderbolt. One with the strength of a storm and the soft touch of a butterfly. One-shot. Colorblind soulmate AU.


**_Thunderbolts and butterflies_**

* * *

They remember. One as terrifying, unexpected and loud as a thunderbolt. One with the strength of a storm and the soft touch of a butterfly.

* * *

 **[Asanoya]**

 _Colorblind soulmate **AU**_

✿ **_by_** Tamarindo Amargo ✿

* * *

Love is just like that.

Sometimes it's a thunder that shakes you _from the tips of your hair to the fingers of your feet._ Sometimes _scary._ Sometimes _loud_. But overall, _majestic._

 _There's a reason he loves thunder so much._

Despite his poor memory, _Nishinoya Yuu remembers pretty well the day he met his soulmate._ It happened on an average spring day on any day of school. It could have been perfectly forgettable if it wasn't for the fact that it would be the day he would join the male volleyball club of Karasuno High School.

He loved volleyball with a _burning passion._ Well, he was a passionate person after all and had the tendency of loving— _and hating_ —pretty quickly. But volleyball was different. Or maybe his deep love for the sport made it different...?

Anyways, he came specifically to Karasuno because of... _a reason._ Well, aside from the gakuran and the female uniform and the fact that it was very close to his house. There was _another_ one...

Now, _wouldn't it be amazing if he could remember which specific reason that was?_

"The male volleyball club is looking for new members!" he could hear in the distance. Ah! _That_ was it!

"Excuse me- _me-me-_ " he said, only to start stuttering all over the place when he saw the source of that voice. Tall, long legs covered in long socks; pale, soft-looking skin; pretty eyes and hair to match; and a beauty mark just near her lips... _She must be a goddess!_

"Yes?" Ah, _fuck it._ He forgot what he was about to ask. And now he couldn't speak! What a fucking mess! "Are you interested in joining the volleyball club? We're always looking for new members, and now with the Coach Ukai—"

"So it's true?" He blurted out of nowhere. Well, _that was pathetic._ "Ukai Ikkei is back from retirement?"

"Yes, he is! Are you interested in—"

" _Yes!_ " Interrupting her— _what the fuck, Yuu,_ he thought as he stopped himself from almost snatching the paper from her hands. At least he had the _human decency_ to _ask for it i_ nstead of grabbing it like a _savage._ He couldn't behave like that, in front of a lady no less! "So... is... the team, like, y'know, _strong?_ " Small talk, make small talk so you don't scare— _wait, what's her name?_

"We... used to be, I think." Oh, _damn it._ He didn't come all the way here for that kind of team at all, no matter how pretty their manager was. "But now, we're not that great..."

"Oh, that's—"

 _"But!"_ She corrected herself quickly, catching Yuu's attention in a very effective way, "now with Coach Ukai back, and with the new formation of our team, I think we're about to _fly_ once again!"

Well, he _never_ chickened out from a challenge before and wasn't about to start _now._

* * *

There was something about the second gym of Karasuno High School that made him feel... _big._

It wasn't an uncommon feeling. He always felt somewhat big when he was on the court, or at least _bigger_ than his actual size— _a very respectable 158,9cm height, thank you very much._

Maybe it was because of the team, the fact that he wasn't alone, and that in his hands rested the opportunity of another attack, of adding another point to their side... or of _the end_ of the match.

 _A libero lived for that._ An attack could be made because of a toss. A toss could be made because of a receive. He was an important part of the team, despite the fact that he couldn't _fight_ in the air.

It was fine. _The floor_ was _the libero's territory_ after all. It was the place in which he could _outshine_ everybody and make the crowd go _wild_ because of an impossible receive executed _perfectly._ The air, however...

 _That was the ace's battleground._

" _Nishinoya Yuu!_ First year class one! I play as _libero!_ Nice to meet you!" His declaration was probably heard _even in the first gym._ He didn't care at all, for his was a loud, playful nature as far back as he could remember. He bowed, smiling at his new teammates, the ones whose backs he'd be taking care of for the next three years.

The team was small and lacking, there's no way to sugarcoat it— _Coach Ukai's words, not his._ But, he could sort of see what the old man was talking about. His third-year senpais lacked spirit-aside from the captain, he guessed—or rather, hoped. And then there were only _two_ second-years: a kind and soft-looking one and a broad-shouldered one with a military haircut. He probably should learn their names, but he was so bad at it...

Well then, who was the team's ace?

He tried sight-guessing, but there was no way to tell when _he still hadn't seen any of them play_. He was putting his money on the captain, since he was the _tallest, strongest-looking_ in the gym. Though, his aura was more of a captain-ish one, not the one of an ace. Not that Yuu could _tell_ the difference _exactly_ ; it was just _primal instinct._

"As a tradition, we'll be playing a match against the first years, so we'll sort the teams and-"

 _"I'm sorry I'm late!"_ was heard from outside the gym's gates, and everybody stopped in their tracks. Yuu could practically _feel_ the murderous aura around Coach Ukai as the newcomer approached the gates— _okay then,_ now he could _see_ what people were talking about when they said that the guy was _Spartan._

" _Azumane,_ I hope this time you have _a proper explanation_ for your lateness." _Was the gym growing darker or was it just him?_

"Yes, sir," Yuu could hear the guy mutter, and, _god,_ he wanted to put a face to that voice; it was _awkward._

For a moment the gates were silent, and then: "Well then, _go change._ I want 100 laps around the gym, and don't you dare skip stretching before you join your teammates for today's practice match!"

 _"Yes, sir!"_ He heard footsteps and supposed the _15-minutes-late guy_ went to change. When Coach Ukai entered the gym again, he looked positively _less_ murderous.  
"Well, _what are y'all waiting for?!_ I'm not getting any younger here!" _Well, he could eat his words with chopsticks now._

"Who's _Azumane?_ " Yuu wondered aloud. It wasn't actually a question directed to the team, but nonetheless, military-cut senpai and soft senpai heard him and approached.

"He's our wannabe ace—ouch! Suga!" Military-cut senpai said, just to receive a solar plexus punch from—well, _Suga-san_ had to be the one that delivered the punch.

"Don't be like that, Daichi" said Suga-san, lowkey snickering, and then added, "Azumane's our _ace,_ Nishinoya-kun."

"Shouldn't third years be here already? Y'know, _to welcome the new first years?_ " He found Suga-san and Daichi-san surprisingly easy to speak with.

"Oh, they should, but you see, _he's not a third-year._ " Yuu blinked in surprise. Well, a _second-year-ace_ wasn't _that_ weird, but he didn't expect Karasuno to have one. What kind of genius was that guy? "You seem to be wondering what kind of genius he is."

 _Was that a magic trick?_ "Yes! _How'd'ja know?"_

Suga-san smiled brightly to him. _Man, what a beautiful smile,_ he found himself thinking. "You're surprisingly easy to read, Nishinoya-kun." That was a compliment, right? "Anyways, _Asahi is no genius._ He's just our tallest, strongest player. _Our_ actual powerhouse" Suga-san explained.

"Actual _goofball_ outside the court," Daichi-san followed up with.

Suga-san actually _snorted_ at that, but tried to hide it quickly, saying in a kind of hurry, "Please Nishinoya-kun, _don't listen to us._ You should actually _get to know the guy."_

 _"That's it if you don't scare him to death first."_

"Gosh, Daichi, _stop!_ " They went away laughing lightly, putting up the net and leaving Yuu alone.

He forgot about the thing almost instantly. In no time he was already talking with his fellow first years, getting to know them better, and being himself in general. He always liked to friendly tease his teammates and to keep everybody in a good mood. After all, _who could win battles while being worried or upset?_ That, and because he just _liked_ to talk with everybody—despite what most people thought of him, whatever _"small-dose kind of person"_ could mean.

The match started, and he found himself acquainted with the rest of the team's game-mode soon enough. Suga's serves were _soft but well aimed_ , and Daichi's receives were very _solid_ , though they could improve. The spikes were _neither easy nor hard_ to receive, except for when Tanaka Ryuunosuke could spike a straight freely-that was harder to manage.

"That's a nice straight, _Ryu!_ " Yuu shouted to his new friend on the other side of the net.

The guy at the other side shouted in an equally enthusiastic way, "And that's some amazin' receiving you're doing there, _Nishinoya-san!"_

"I already told ya, _call me Noya!"_

" _Noya-san,_ you're amazin'!" They both laughed. Well, Noya-san was probably the best he would get out of him for the moment. It was okay. He liked the guy, looked like a nice person!

The ball went back and forth in an _intense_ rally. Man, _didn't he hate those?_ His mind would get all foggy, and his limbs would become as heavy as fucking bricks, and everything he could think of would translate to _"dude, wouldn't it be awesome if the ball just fucking touched the floor? On the opposite side if possible."_

He was so absorbed in the match— _it happened on a daily basis;_ his mind probably had a _volleyball main-focus switch_ or something—that he didn't notice _neither_ the gates opening _nor_ the appearance of _a new player._

Until, obviously, the match ended— _with a win for their side_ —and they changed courts.

" _Azumane!_ Did you stretch properly? _Go switch already!_ " He heard the coach say

 _"Yes, sir!"_ the newcomer answered. There was a change of players, and finally, finally he could see the guy.

 _The guy,_ as Noya addressed him in his mind, _was big._

Well, to his size, _almost everybody looked somewhat big_ —but! To be fair, he was still the _taller, bulkier-looking_ around the place. _Strong-looking arms and legs, broad shoulders, wide back, 18_ 3... no, maybe _184cm tall, long hair_ and... was he trying to _grow a beard_?

 _Azumane,_ repeated in his mind. Yuu looked around to read the expressions of his teammates, and what he found was a _bewildering_ mix between _awe_ and _slight fright._ Given he was never _afraid_ of a player until confronted with their gameplay, he really couldn't understand what had them so scared. _Well, let's hope this guy is as interesting as he looks._

"Is he even a high schooler?" asked out loud— _what was his name again?_ tried to recall Yuu. _Kinoshita Hisashi?_ Yeah, sounds like it.

"Would you _even_ believe me if I told you he's _the youngest second year?_ " asked Kurokawa-san, the captain playing on their sides, "This is for you all but Nishinoya-kun especially: Azumane's serves are _strong,_ and his aim is getting better, but his _spikes_ are the ones that may change things here, so please manage and _receive as many as you can_ ".

Yuu blinked in surprise. He didn't know if the guy was just _that_ strong or if he was being _underestimated_ , and neither of those were good news— _for his pride at least,_ but he would give it a second thought when the match ended. So, instead, he just said, "Roger that, captain! I've got y'all covered, so please look forward!" and lo and behold, the team smiled once again.

On the other side, he could practically _feel_ the stares of the players. _Was he going to be targeted?_ He sure was feeling like he was going to be targeted.

If he was being targeted, then he just would play like always and gain the team's trust. The thing here is that _he didn't feel like he was being underestimated_ or that they didn't trust his ability. They actually believed that _he was good,_ just that the guy on the other side was just slightly _better._

Well, _he wouldn't let him score that easily,_ that was for sure.

 _"Let's have a nice game!"_ was heard all over the gym, and the whistle sounded. Their side was serving, and the ball went to the other side of the net smoothly.

"Chance ball!" he heard Daichi say as he received it. First touch, it went up in the air and to the setter's position. _"Suga!"_

"Gotcha!" The setter quickly positioned himself under the ball. On the other side, the spikers all looked ready to _score._ On their side, they were all ready to _block it_. " _Asahi!_ Last!"

The ball went up, _up, and far from the net,_ on a clean movement that looked so _refined_ that Yuu _knew_ just from watching it that it was the pass they had practiced together _the most._

" _Cut off the cross!_ " But he couldn't hear anything else at all, totally _awestruck_ by _the look in front of his eyes._

 _An attack_ could be made because of _a toss._ A toss could be made because of _a receive._ If the ball touched the floor, the game... _ended._ It that was simple. And his place was back behind, throwing himself to the ground to save the ball. _The floor was the libero's big stage._

And humans couldn't fly or whatever. That thought made him gloomy on a daily basis, because in his opinion, _volleyball would be like a hundred times better if they could actually fly._ But, humans can't fly, and that's why they find ways to stay up in the air.

"Ready!" And, as if the world moved in slow motion, following his primal instinct he found himself at the place the ball would most likely go with just one thought in his mind:

 _Don't let him score._

From Yuu's point of view, _Azumane Asahi looked like a historical hero while he was up in the air._ _On the ace's battleground._ That just made his instinct— _don't let him score don't let him score don't let him_ —go _wild._

Come. Come. _Come._

The ace's palm touched the ball, and the flesh against the leather made an _explosion-like_ sound that resounded through the gym.

 _But Yuu heard a thunderbolt._ One that shook him from the tips of his hair to the fingers of his feet. _Sudden. Resounding._ _Terrifying._ _Majestic._

 _There's a reason he loves thunder so much._

And, faster than a _cannonball,_ the volleyball flew on a sharp and clean trajectory. He received, and the strength of it made him _fly backwards and outside the court_ as the ball went up on a not-so-clean path. Against his arms, the ball made a scary sound, and the players on the court found themselves _gaping_ as he fell, wondering if the small libero was _all right._

In the meantime, _Yuu was on cloud nine,_ because now _that's how you spike._ Not that he would tell that to the guy, he knew better than to inflate the ego of a team's ace from experience.

 _"FOLLOW!"_ He shouted as he got up. But then, the sight in front of his eyes _made him fall backwards all over again._

He didn't know if it was _magic,_ if it was _God's doing_ , or if it was just _nature._ He knew, what almost every average boy his age knew. _People see life in greyscale until they met their soulmate._ And exactly that was what had him on the floor, still in shock.

Because, not in his dreams— _no, not even in his wildest dreams_ —he would've thought of starting to see colors in a moment like _this._

But before he could start _overthinking_ the issue, the whistle sounded again. _Point for their side; Kurokawa-san had scored._ It has been only a few seconds since he fell, but it still felt like _hours..._

"A-are you _okay?_ Do y-you need help to stand up?" Yuu looked up, to see the face of the person that was talking to him in such a worried tone. _Jeez, he just fell, what was that fuss about?_ "Oh my god, _oh my god, I'm so sorry._ I didn't mean to hurt you at all, _I swear!_ Can you stand up? _Are you hurt anywhere?_ Please tell me I didn't actually hurt you. The coach isn't going to let me live if you're hurt!"

 _"Asahi-san, that's a wicked spike!"_ Forget everything about not spoiling the guy rotten, he had no ego to feed whatsoever. "It's been a long while since the last time I'd had a hard time receivin' a spike! And it's with _Ushiwaka's!_ "

"U-U-Ushi- _no way._ I'm nowhere near _that_ good," he answered sheepishly.

"Obviously you're _not,_ " blurted Yuu in a matter-of-fact way, and Asahi visibly deflated, so he added, "But, why stop at bein' as good as Shiratorizawa's Ushiwaka? Why not, y'know, bein' _Karasuno's Azumane?_ "

Asahi smiled at him awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and visibly nervous. So Yuu did what he did best and smiled at him brightly, cutting his tension off. The ace extended a hand to help him up.

"That was a nice recei—"

" _Don't give me that. It was crap,_ " said the small libero, cutting him off as he took his hand. It felt _too big_ for his own _tiny_ hands.

"Sorry, no, it wasn't," _Does this guy ever stop apologizing?_

"But next one'll be better, so watch out, Asahi-san!"

The whistle sounded again. The match resumed. Everything went back to normal... _full technicolor normal,_ in the small libero's life, at least.

* * *

The following days, Yuu learned a few things.

First of all...

"Noya-san! Sawamura-san and the other second years said they're going to treat us to pork-buns after afternoon practice!" said Ryu, his new self-proclaimed _brother-of-the-court._

"That's nice, Ryu! Race to the gym! Last one mops the floor by 'imself!"

His favorite ice cream, the soda flavor GariGari-kun, was _blue as the morning sky._ Second...

"Good afternoon, Kiyoko-san! You're lookin' pretty as always!" His comment went unheard. _God, she was so pretty._

Shimizu Kiyoko's lips were as _pink as the frames of her glasses._

"The uniforms are here. I think I got everybody's size right, but you should still check it out." The third thing was _the club jacket was black, like the school's gakuran._ And the team's uniform was _black with orange._ His was _orange with black._

"I know the libero's uniform is different than ours, but I still would like to be able to recognize the difference," he heard Chikara say.

"My uniform's mostly _orange,_ Chikara! Like _tangerines, mandarines and oranges._ Yours' mostly _black,_ like the school's gakuran, the jacket and... highways!" he explained happily, and Chikara looked just as, if not _more,_ lost as before. Already used to the libero's antics, the rest of the team smiled and laughed.

"Nice to know, Noya-san! _Now I will think about you when I drink orange juice,_ " said Ryu with a playful smile.

The fourth thing: _his soulmate was a boy._ He was tall and athletic and had a slightly tanned skin, chocolate-brown hair and eyes to match, and a very gentle smile. And he liked to treat the libero to ice cream every time he could. Not that Yuu _ever_ said anything against it, he was weak to ice cream.

"You're going to spoil the kid rotten, Asahi," he heard Daichi tell the ace one afternoon outside the store.

"Nah, I think _Nishinoya_ is the one that's going to _spoil Asahi,_ with so many compliments about his form and such," Suga followed. To Asahi's dismay, Yuu and Ryu joined in the conversation.

"I compliment him just as much as I criticize him, but I'll say _nothin'_ 'bout the ice cream!"

"You're going to make a hole in his wallet, Noya san!"

They laughed as the ace blushed heavily. They talked, about practice, the upcoming matches, and how they _seriously_ needed more time to use the gym.

"Not that I'm complainin', but practicin' outside bruises me even _more_ than practicin' inside. Mom's gettin' worried 'bout it," said the libero, looking at his now clean popsicle stick. "I guess bein' all _purple and blue_ doesn't suit me that much," he said laughing. "I actually prefer _black._ What's your favorite color, guys?"

"I think _light blue,_ dark colors makes me look like a ghost," said Suga, smiling lightly.

"I prefer _green and orange,_ though my sister says that my fashion sense is a mess and I actually don't know how to mix them," followed Daichi, looking pensive.

 _"All colors are amazing,_ but _red_ is passionate, so I like it the most!" stated Ryu strongly, finishing his pork bun with a huge bite.

"What 'bout you, Asahi-san?" asked Yuu, his eyes _shining_ like lightning with anticipation.

"I... actually don't see any colors yet."

Just to hear a _thunder_ inside his chest as his heart was _broken._

* * *

 _ **Thunderbolts & butterflies**_

* * *

 _According to the internet,_ for him it was statistically more probable dying in a train accident, committing suicide before 20, and being involved in a car crash, than meeting his soulmate.

Asahi thought he was _nobody_ to go _against_ numbers, so he was making _zero actual effort_ into trying to find them.

He knew he was a _hopeless romantic,_ one that believed in _true love_ and _fairy tales,_ and finding your _fate._ But, above all that, he was just a coward. _A plain, glass-hearted coward._

He decided a while ago that in order to protect his own fragile soul, he would focus just on what was there right in front of him. He already was having trouble with his _anxiety_ and had the tendency of _overthinking_ the future, or _why everybody found him so scary,_ or if the team would ever make it to nationals— _heck,_ if they would _ever_ get past the second round of the Miyagi Preliminaries.

He wasn't about to start worrying about finding his soulmate _too._

So, when Noya's question reached his ears, he could do nothing but answer honestly.

 _"I... actually don't see any colors yet."_

He already knew that Suga and Daichi could see colors—he was just waiting for them to _notice the obvious,_ that being their feelings for each other. How Tanaka could see colors, that was none of his business and was up to the spiker to tell the story, if he ever wanted to.

 _Why Noya looked so heartbroken_ now—that was something he actually _worried_ about.

Maybe the rest of the team said it as a kindhearted _joke_ , but _he did have a soft spot for the libero._ He _liked_ to see him _smile._ He took his words to heart the most. H _e wanted his praise like a drowning man wanted air._

And so, when he looked upset, _he got upset too._

" _I-It doesn't bother me though!_ I mean, one can live a fully functional life this way, I think. You don't have to be sad for me, Nishinoya," he explained in a hurry. The libero blinked once, then twice, and his expression became _clear as mud_. Asahi, whose heart was starting to beat _faster every second,_ thought that he, somehow, _messed something up._

And then, _easy_ like his _laugh_ and _light_ as his _body_ , _the libero spoke again._ "But, _Asahi-san!_ Then you can't see that Kiyoko-san's lips are pink like the frames of her glasses! Or that the mornin' sky is blue like my favorite popsicle!" he ranted. Around him, everybody laughed, used to the libero's antics. Asahi _exhaled,_ not knowing _when he started to hold his breath._ "And your palms get red like tomatoes and cherries when you spike really hard, _Asahi-san! You just can't miss it!_ "

"That's right, Asahi-san! _You can't miss Noya-san disguised as a tangerine!"_

"Shut up Ryu! That's just the uniform!"

"But you're _small_ as one though!"

The small quarrel continued until the cashier-guy shouted at the group, and they dispersed. Tanaka left first, his way home having a very small point in common. Suga and Daichi split a bit after, both taking opposite directions. Then, Asahi and Nishinoya continued their way, _silently._

He didn't know if it was just him or if the silence felt heavy. _Should I talk?_ he thought. _I'm_ so _bad at small talk. It's usually Nishinoya who starts speaking first._

"You seriously can't _see_ the colors of the sunset, Asahi-san?" asked Nishinoya as if he was reading his thoughts about the silence feeling weird. Anyways, that was a subject he _really didn't want to touch_ at the moment, so the silence that followed the question felt even _worse._ "I mean, it is said that it's more probable dying before 20 than meetin' your soulmate nowadays, _but still!_ Both Suga-san and Daichi-san found 'em, Ryu did too, _even I did!_ The numbers at Karasuno obviously _don't work,_ so you should've foun' yours _too!_ "

Asahi looked at the diverse shades of grey in the sky. He wondered what it would look like if he wasn't colorblind. "It must be amazing having found your soulmate, Nishinoya. Do you and Tanaka talk about it? You-you know, most people end up _marrying_ their soulmates and—"

" _What on earth_ are you talking about, Asahi-san?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, just to see that Nishinoya had stopped following too, a few meters behind.

"I mean, it's kinda obvious you two are a _match,_ " said the taller of the pair, bringing his hand to his nape almost automatically, an old bad habit of his that was almost impossible to break so far in the game. Nishinoya just raised both eyebrows, eyes wide with surprise. "N-not that I'm implying anything _weird_ by it... Not that you and Tanaka being _boyfriends_ is _weird o-or anything!_ I mean I'm just saying that if you're both soulmates and just... choose to leave it entirely friendly and platonic _is all right too!_ I-uh-just- _who am I to say if it's alright or not,_ anyways... and you're so head over heels for Shimizu too... _God, I'm so dumb._ Nishinoya please _forget the last five minutes of your life._ I'm being _ridiculous._ "

To his own dismay, Nishinoya just _laughed._

Asahi felt his face heating up, and even if he couldn't see colors, he just _knew_ he was as red as... tomatoes and cherries, or at least _that was what Nishinoya said earlier._ He should be worrying over how _easy_ the libero could make him _all flustered,_ but he was _also busy_ trying to _ignore_ the way his stomach was flipping and jumping at the sight of his smile-

 _Well now, this was probably the worst moment to get a crush, over his teammate of all people._

"Asahi-san, _you look constipated,_ " said Nishinoya out of nowhere when they started walking again. Asahi almost _flinched_ at that.

"Don't... Don't say it like _that,_ Nishinoya," he answered sheepishly. _They just laughed again._

* * *

Asahi had _one_ problem.

"Azumane-kun, you're looking scarier than usual. Is something wrong today?" His— _already deep_ —frown deepened, scaring away the concerned classmate that had the guts to approach him.

He _barely_ slept last night, and being sleep-deprived made him look _scarier than usual_. As much as he _likes_ to look somewhat wild, he _doesn't like_ when his classmates are so frightened that they won't dare approach him.

Other than that...

"What do you mean they _left?!_ " The notice of Ennoshita, Narita and Kinoshita leaving the team reached their ears by Tanaka-

"I mean _exactly that,_ Daichi-san! Chikara just told me, _'I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore,'_ and then _left!_ " To say that the guy was angry was _clearly an understatement._ Tanaka was _fuming_ over the fact that the three first years _left_ without an explanation.

Now, he had _two_ problems. With _three members less,_ the already lacking offensive power of the team was left in the _dust,_ and he didn't even want to think about the defensive power that _barely_ lived around their _miraculous libero._

 _Breathe in._ For the sake of keeping a stable gameplay, he couldn't let his anxiety slip in. _Breathe out._ He had to remember, the scariest memory he had, because nothing could ever be worse than that. _Breathe in._ He just needed to stay calm through the day, without any unsteady feelings or sudden events that could throw him off. _Breathe out._ He was going to be okay, he was going to be okay, he was going to be-

 _"ASAHI-SAAAAN!"_ Being caught off guard, Asahi dropped what he was holding.

 _"God freaking darn-"_

 _"Asahi-san?"_

In front of him stood _Nishinoya,_ all _studded belts_ and _punk rock spirit,_ his jacket over his shoulder and his _cheeky-brat brand smile_ on his face. From Asahi's point of view, _Nishinoya Yuu was the embodiment of a storm,_ disguised as some _butterfly on his rebel days._ The mere sight of the boy was doing _things_ to his _fragile heart,_ and _he was having way too many problems that day._

"You enjoy scaring the socks off me, don't you, Nishinoya?" asked Asahi quietly, getting on his knees to pick up what fell from his arms. Shimizu had asked him to help her carry a box to the gym, and its contents— _surprise, more boxes!_ —were now all over the floor.

"I swear I don't enjoy it that much, Asahi-san! _Just a little bit!_ " said the other boy, already helping with the fallen boxes.

Summer had them sweating and yearning for lighter clothes to wear. Asahi was now used to wearing his hair in a slight bun, the sleeves of his uniform rolled up over his elbows, and bringing a handkerchief with him to make up for his excessive sweating. He was also used to watching Suga complain about the prices of sunscreen and how heat made him look all _pink_ — _not that Asahi would know, either way_ —and Daichi retouching his military-stile haircut and worrying over how the heat made his acne go wild.

Now he also had the first years, with Tanaka wearing caps and strangely fashionable sunglasses, singing the new song of the summer; Ennoshita getting sunburns and being extremely irritable for the heat; and— _his personal favorite_ —Nishinoya's fingers sticky with popsicles, ice cream, and sodas, making a mess everywhere.  
That's why, _what he first noticed,_ when their hands met over the same folded cardboard box, was _the remains of sweets,_ rather than _the touch itself._

Summer had Asahi yearning for _some peace of mind._ Exams, summer training camp, the upcoming Miyagi Preliminaries, the loss of three members of the team—all of that was making _a mess_ of his _nerves._ And, _recently,_ the addition of _a certain libero,_ clinging to him without some kind of pattern whatsoever. Some days Nishinoya would be _too close,_ demanding his full and undivided attention _and piggyback rides,_ threatening to lift him—and, on very crazy days, _actually accomplishing it_ —and talking to him _nonstop_ about _colors_ and _hues_ and how _the summer made every color feel warm,_ whatever _that_ could mean.

Then, other days, like this one apparently, he would be... _silent._ Away, _so far away._

But then, Asahi blinked. _Something in the air felt different._ His body, from the tips of his hair to the fingers of his feet, was slightly _tingling._ For some reason, he felt nervous, as if a butterfly just landed on his hand, and he was trying to be as quiet as possible to not scare it away.

"Asahi-san? There somethin' wrong? You've been makin' scary faces all morning," said Nishinoya.

When he looked up, an unknown hue made its way to his eyes, leaving him _frozen on the spot._

* * *

 _Karasuno's male volleyball club current ace thought of himself a simple man._

According to the internet, it was statistically more probably ending in a bad-paying job with hellish conditions due to his lack of interest for university and regular grades, living a monotonous and ordinary life, and dying young from an alcohol-related illness, than meeting and marrying his soulmate.

Asahi thought he was _nobody_ to go _against numbers;_ that's why he was _perfectly okay_ with being actively _avoided_ when it came to every kind of romantic approach.

Despite that, _he was a hopeless romantic,_ one that believed in true love and fairy tales and finding your fate. But, above all that, _he was still a coward,_ afraid of _expectations, deception, hatred_ and _heartbreak._ He would prefer to _hide_ his heart of glass from _all that._

That's why in order to protect his own fragile soul, he was focusing only on what was right there in front of him. Finding his soulmate was definitely _not_ on his to-do list for this time of his life, _let alone his plans of the day._

So, when Noya's question reached his ears...

 _"Your eyes are not grey anymore, Nishinoya."_

Like the simple man he was, _he ruined everything._

* * *

If Asahi was good at _something,_ that was taking care of his grandmother's garden, grooming the old cat of the neighborhood and volleyball, _in that order._

He was bad at hiding and running away, because most of the time, somebody would find him way too early and guilt-trip him into coming back.

"You can't _hide_ all day, Asahi," said Daichi the next day during a break at practice. At that, he visibly deflated, and Daichi sighed. "Y'know it would be easier to _help you_ if you told us _what went wrong,_ " he said, trying the gentle approach, but Asahi was too scared for any of that. He kept his mouth shut. _"Do I have to call in the heavy artillery?"_

 _"You rang?"_ Suga's gentle voice reached his ears, and despite knowing all too well that _he was about to step in a honey trap,_ he still _relaxed._ "That's more like it, _now,_ why don't you tell us what happened, you n _egative goatee?_ " Asahi loomed. Suga and Daichi seemed to _smile_ even more.

"You guys are being _rude,_ " he said, putting down his deportive drink. "Anyways, I'm _neither hiding nor feeling bad-_ "

"Asahi, I'm here for _answers,_ not _bullshit,_ " _that could've gone better._

Asahi sighed, already trapped in Sugawara Koushi's honey trap "... How did you guys _know?_ "

 _"Don't get me started,"_ said Daichi, as Suga rolled his eyes as if saying, _honey mama knows best,_ "Your spikes today are on the _killer weapon side_ and only _Noya_ 's brave enough to receive _those._ " Asahi flinched. He _didn't knew_ his spikes had a killer weapon side— _why does nobody tell him these things?_ "And that would be _amazing_ for you both to practice, _obviously,_ but _you've been avoiding him all day_ , and it's getting _painfully obvious_ that _there's a problem_ when this far into practice, he hasn't said one single _'Asahi-san!'_ "

 _Painfully obvious._

That was how Asahi felt the feelings displayed on his face were, hence the reason he'd been avoiding Nishinoya since yesterday. There, _in plain sight,_ in the middle of the day, being _painfully obvious._ _Your eyes are not grey anymore, Nishinoya._ A neon sign on his forehead reading _"Surprise: You're My Soulmate"_ would've been better.

For him, to have found his _soulmate on_ the stormy libero of light-brown eyes was a punch in the solar plexus from all his fears concerning the soulmate issue. What if they're a _boy?_ A _heterosexual, homophobic boy?_ What if _he already has a soulmate, and it's a one-sided affair?_ What if he befriends the boy and then his feelings scare him away? What if the boy is on the team? _What if it's Daichi?_ Asahi _can't_ soulmate _Daichi;_ it made him feel like _his father_ was his soulmate.

Though, after receiving the real-life outcome, he wasn't _that_ sure anymore.

After all, for him, _Nishinoya Yuu was one hell of a storm._ Discovering the wonders of that miracle of nature was a task for _brave soldiers, reckless adventurers_ and _great beast tamers._ He was _out of his territory,_ and he was _content_ with _watching from afar,_ for he was just good with small gardens, light rains and docile animals. A guardian—no, not a guardian, _The guardian deity_ —he was not for him, _never for him._

He was too _afraid of thunder,_ to ever gain the courage necessary to embrace that _beautiful storm._

* * *

 _The second color he saw..._

"Asahi-san," he heard his voice and was unable to do _anything_ to _avoid_ the imminent embarrassing situation he was about to confront. "Did I do somethin' wrong yesterday?"

The practice ended. Everybody went home. Suga and Daichi didn't press the matter any further, but promised a quite _terrifying_ interrogation tomorrow morning that _he wasn't looking forward to._ He stopped by the shop at the foot of the mountain, feeling like eating something sweet to forget about all the soulmate trouble.

Apparently, Nishinoya read his thoughts on the matter.

"You did nothing wrong. Why do you ask?" _That was a cheap blow._ Asahi knew perfectly what was going on. _He just was trying to play dumb._ Apparently Nishinoya enjoyed doing a quick catch-up for him every time he did it.

" _You know why I'm askin',_ you've been _avoidin'_ me since _yesterday_ , when you puked some weird stuff 'bout my eyes not bein' grey." His tone was absolute. _Don't you dare treat me like some dumb kid, Asahi-san,_ he said.

Above them, the night was clouding. The sky was _pitch black,_ and Asahi couldn't find in himself to ask Nishinoya if he saw _a different color._

"Do you feel like eatin' ice cream, Asahi-san?" While he was occupied watching the sky and ignoring the light-brown gaze of the libero, he entered the shop. Quickly, he followed. "Your favorites are the watermelon-strawberry flavored ones, right?" Nishinoya was standing tiptoe, trying to reach farther into the refrigerator. Asahi was having trouble with holding back his laughter. "Aw shoot, the soda-flavored ones are gone... Well I guess lime will do— _what's so amusin', Asahi-san?_ "

Outside, an unforeseen rain started to fell, soaking the streets little by little. Lightly, lightly...

" _I'm truly sorry,_ Nishinoya. It's just... it seems like I've been worrying over nothing all along," he said. Nishonoya smiled brightly, and as if on command, Asahi brought his hand to the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

The libero, still smiling, handed him the ice-cream. "Then, you'll spill what's that, that's been eating you Asahi-san?"

The wind started to howl, making a symphony of the stormy weather that caught them unprepared. Stronger, stronger...

"It's probably nothing. I'm sure I've been just _seeing things—"_

" _You can't just imagine colors, Asahi-san._ "

Asahi _always felt like running away,_ despite knowing that he was _bad_ at it. From _everything._ From the _exams_ , the _upcoming preliminaries,_ the _soulmate issue_... _From Nishinoya's light-brown eyes._

"Then... I guess yesterday I met my soulmate without noticing."

Outside, thunderbolts rolled. The rain poured heavily. The wind howled strongly. Nishinoya's eyes filled with emotion, with lightning; Asahi's stomach, with grief. He felt like he was watching a storm.

"See? I told ya, didn't I?! Numbers at Karasuno are _drunk!_ " The libero celebrated, invoking the wrath of the cashier-guy whom Asahi hadn't seen that angry in a while. _Must be a record, then._

"Oi! If you're not going to buy anything for that pocket-sized delinquent of yours, then you both can go outside and soak!" Asahi didn't know which part was his favorite: the fact that he called Nishinoya a _pocket-sized delinquent,_ that the cashier-guy already knew that Asahi usually bought for both of them, or that apparently the libero was _his._

 _"I'm really so_ — _"_

"Oi! You have any _soda-flavored GariGari-kun_ left?" Nishinoya inquiring for his favorite choice totally _eclipsed_ his apology.

"There should be one or two at the very bottom, though I wouldn't be surprised if they're all gone since _you keep eating them all,_ " The guy hid his face again behind the manga he was reading.

"Of course it would be at _the very fucking bottom_ —"

" _Language,_ Nishinoya." The libero bit back something along the lines of _fucking gentle bastard that wouldn't harm a god damn fly_ under his breath while he struggled to reach the bottom of the refrigerator. Despite himself, he smiled. "Let me," said Asahi, easily reaching the ice cream Nishinoya was having such a hard time with. It was a bit stuck, so he had to pull hard. "There you go."

 _"My hero,"_ said Nishinoya mockingly. Asahi blushed for the _umpteenth time_ since the stormy boy came into his life. Nishinoya _laughed,_ for about the same number of times.

"Come on, _pocket-sized delinquent._ I'm paying." The nickname earned him a punch in the arm. Asahi faked a cry, just to make Nishinoya laugh. He did.

Outside it was still _raining_ and it _poured,_ and they were out there on their own. The wind _howled_ and _clashed,_ and it looked like the tempest wasn't stopping _anytime soon._ In the sky, lightning _flashed._ In the corner of his eye, _Asahi saw Nishinoya,_ eating his ice cream happily. Around his lips, another unknown hue appeared.

 _The mornin' sky is blue like my favorite popsicle, Asahi-san!_

A deviant butterfly landed on the libero's spiky hair, probably hiding from the rain. _How foolish,_ he thought. _Trying to hide from the rain, you land in the top of a storm._ More thunder rolled, and the butterfly flew away.

"Ryu texted. The forecast said that the rain isn't stoppin' until midnight _probably._ " In two bites, Nishinoya finished his ice cream. _That's quite the trick,_ thought Asahi, "Well, I guess I'll run—"

 _"Wait,"_ Asahi interrupted, taking off his jacket. "We can't have you catching a cold, the preliminaries are close."

"We can't have _you_ getting sick, _Asahi-san,_ " Nishinoya said, refusing to take the jacket.

" _Me?_ There are more wing spikers, but _we only have one libero."_

 _Thunderbolt._ The butterfly he saw before _fell flat dead on the ground._ In front of him, _Nishinoya dropped his bag and his backpack._ "What do you mean _there're more wing spikers?_ You're our _ace,_ " he said, looking _way too ready_ to _fight him._

 _Silence._

"For what it's worth, Nishinoya, _I don't think I'm that good—"_

" _Keep your fuckin' jacket_ Asahi-san, I'm not that much of a _weaklin'_ to need it, and obviously you're more of a _wimp,_ " The boy _barked_ his statement, _unmovable._ _And it hurt him._ That hurt him real bad, and he felt like hiding and running away and protecting himself from the storm. But Nishinoya didn't stop there— _god, did he ever?_ "But in the court, you're _our strongest player._ That's why _we_ call _you_ the _ace,_ and _we can't have you gettin' sick._ "

Because lionhearted creatures like Nishinoya could smell the fear. And _attack._

"Let's just go together, our houses are in the same way after all," whispered Asahi, lowering his head, "I really don't want you getting sick."

The rain poured and the storm walked— _there, right beside him._ The wind _howled,_ and in the sky _thunderbolts clashed._ But none of that mattered to Asahi when his jacket was above both of them, barely protecting them, and Nishinoya's laugh reminded him of _butterflies_ and _flowers_ and _everything he could take care of._

It was ridiculous, _he was being ridiculous._

The first color he saw was _light brown._ Caramels, some brands of honey, and the color of _Nishinoya's eyes._ The second was blue, like _Nishinoya's favorite popsicle._ He still had some, in his cheek, and Asahi took his handkerchief to wipe it away. The libero laughed again, saying something about wasted ice cream that didn't quite reach his ears.

 _Asahi felt like smiling, too._

* * *

When he reached Nishinoya's neighborhood, the rain was _merciless._

"You are feelin' all down and angry because you doubt your strength, right?" There was _no way_ Asahi would _ever_ tell Nishinoya why he was feeling upset.

So he went for the next best thing. "Yeah, sort of," he lied. "I really don't feel like I won the title." Well, he _half-lied._

"Talk to me, _m'kay?"_ They reached the door, after Asahi stubbornly insisted on walking him all the way there. "Guys in the team get _scared_ when you're upset, but _I don't_ and _never will,_ so you can _talk to me, Asahi-san!_ "

And maybe, _just maybe,_ he was starting to be a little _less_ afraid of those small thunderous eyes.

* * *

Suga would often say that he was made of some _bland material_ that _somehow_ took the shape of _a big human._ Maybe like _tofu or jelly._ The fair-haired teen once joked with _noodles,_ just to close his mouth again with distaste after comparing the size of _his biceps_ against _Asahi's._

Daichi also said that, _maybe if he wasn't so much of a wimp,_ he could be on equal ground with _Ushiwaka._

Then, _Nishinoya came into his life,_ screaming and laughing and receiving spike after spike with the shouts of _"My grandpa' could've received those too, Asahi-san!", "Spike it like you're goin' to kill me!"_ and _"I'm not some Chinese pot, damn it. Stop fussin' over some bruisin'!"_

Nishinoya also carried an _overenthusiastic wing spiker._ Tanaka, after warming up to the team a bit better, soon became the second member of his fan club, _according to Daichi and Kurokawa-san._

Asahi himself thought _too_ that _maybe_ he was made of some _bland material._ That would explain _why_ his legs felt _shaky_ when _Nishinoya was close_ , why he _trembled_ so badly when he was _in the middle_ of a _nervous wreck,_ and why hard words _always_ made their way to _his crystal-like heart._

But, _sometimes_ he was _brave_ and _let himself dream._ Because, like the hopeless romantic he was, he also thought that brave people could dream and act to make his dreams come alive. He just had to... _somehow nail down the latter._

His dreams were filled with _heavy rain, wild landscapes_ and _beasts._ They were all _quiet,_ and he would find himself befriending _lions_ and _panthers_ alike, riding _elephants_ and feeding _hippos,_ as if they were _small cats,_ _shy tortoises_ and _harmless pups_. Then he would _climb trees, cross mountains_ and _swim in rivers,_ like one would _climb a rope, cross a street_ and _swim in a pool._

Nishinoya was there in his dreams. His punk rock spirit filling every space, his loud voice eclipsing the rain, and his smile making everything calm. He was surrounded by butterflies, ones that were brave enough to land on him and play, even when he was jumping, and running, and shouting.

If he wanted, he could bring down a portion of the sun and give it to him without burning. But Asahi considered the risks, and instead, he gave the libero a sunflower—

 _"ASAHI, YOU'RE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"_ He _fell out of bed._ Shocked, after fighting against his covers for a moment, he managed to get up and _open his eyes_ —

To a world that greeted him with _colors._

 _And he fell again._

* * *

 _ **Thunderbolts & butterflies**_

* * *

Months passed. Summer came and left, and the ground filled with multicolored leaves and then with white snow.

The third years left, between tears and frustration and defeat. Now the team was officially in the hands of the second years. Sawamura Daichi was now their _captain_ and Sugawara Koushi their _vice._ And a little after, Coach Ukai fell ill, and they were left coach-less once again.

More than ever, the volleyball team felt like _their wings had been chopped off,_ but nobody ever said that out loud. Flightless. _Desperate_. They would fight, they _had to fight._ But, in the end...

"SUGA!" The toss was made again. The ace spiked again. An iron wall rose in front of them, and the ball fell on their side. Again. Again. _Again._

Yuu saw it, _in slow motion._ How the will to fight _left his eyes._ How the fear made his legs stay in place. How his arms stayed at his sides.

 _Please,_ he prayed to his hero. _Please, don't give up._

 _Even if I have to leave my skin behind in the court. Even if it means I have to fall again and again and bruise and bleed and cry._

 _Don't give up just yet, not when we're still fighting._

 _Call out for it once more—!_

" _ASAHI-SAN!_ "

But in the end, if their star couldn't shine to lead the way, it was hopeless.

* * *

Yuu wondered, whether if given the choice, he would have chosen between _a life without colors_ in which he didn't have to _suffer_ the _heartbreak_ of watching _the person you adore the most_ lose his hope and _giving up on himself,_ or one with _colors_ and _a soulmate that didn't feel the same way._

 _He already knew the answer._

"It was _you_ all along." _Of course he already knew the answer,_ and that was why this conversation was getting his hopes all up once again. "And _I couldn't bear it,_ knowing that you already had a soulmate that wasn't _me,_ and above all, _that you don't even like boys._ So _I ran away from that, too._ "

He would, _just_ if he could, ask for _a slightly clever one._ But it was fine. _He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed either._

"Asahi-san, I'm supposed to be _the dumb one_ here. _Are you stealin' my spot?"_

 _He came back._ Yuu didn't ask for anything else but _that,_ and _he came back:_ his hair longer, his beard thicker and his eyes _shier._

After the match against the neighborhood association, Asahi came looking for him, looking sad— _more so than usual._ Yuu thought that he was going to apologize _again_ for what happened after that match against Date Tech, so he asked Daichi to let him and Asahi clean and close the gym.

His hero was back, and he was confessing something he had lost hope for, a long time ago.

 _I want to clear the air between us, and that means I have to be frank,_ was what Asahi told him. _I ran away twice from you, and I'm not doing that ever again._  
 _Nishinoya, you're my soulmate, and I also like you very much._

"W-w-what do you mean by _dumb?!"_

Yuu felt like screaming in _joy._ "Ryu isn't my soulmate, _you giant oaf!_ Neither is Kiyoko-san—though to be honest _I wouldn't've minded_ —any-anyways, they're _not."_

"So, that means-"

"It's you! You giant, freakin', bearded goofball! _You're my soulmate!"_ Asahi was frozen on the spot. Yuu was so happy, he was afraid his body might _explode._

 _I told you, didn't I?_

 _I'm not afraid of you. Never was, never will._

"And... you like me?"

Like him?

 _"I like you more than every soda-flavored GariGari-kun on earth!"_

Yeah, pretty much.

Yuu felt like jumping right into Asahi's— _his soulmate's!_ —arms and hugging him until all his fears washed away. He knew— _oh god, did he know_ —Asahi was scared of many things: Being alone late in the night, intimidating people no matter their height, big crowds and small places, _thunders._

"Nishinoya, don't jump like that! What if I can't hold you properly?" He had both arms and legs around Asahi, pretty much like _a koala holding a tree._

"What're you talkin' 'bout? You'd _never_ drop me." Because you're afraid of _thunder._ Of _storms._ But you still, _somehow,_ got the courage to embrace a thunderous boy like me as if I were harmless as a butterfly.

That's why...

"We finished here with the gym... It's... It's okay if I buy you ice cream and walk you home?" _Like that rainy afternoon,_ he remembers it, despite his poor memory. Yuu felt like smiling.

"That's cheatin'! Y'know I _can't_ refuse ice cream."

"Is that a yes?"

 _That's why, I'm glad you're back._

"Of course it's a _yes."_

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **BONUS:**

"And that, children, is how I met your father."

"Noya-san, that's _so cool!_ But, _eh,_ we were asking _why does everybody say that you should give Asahi-san his kneepad back?_ "

"Oh! That's _another_ amazing story, Shouyou! Listen, so, Asahi _really_ doesn't know how to buy things online..."

* * *

 _Special thanks to_ **Stylin' Breeze** _for beta-reading this work!_

(✿˵◕ ɜ◕˵) ~~ _Happy birthday to our softest boy!_ ~~


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